Demo: Home Beekeeping

The benefits of bees are almost endless, and home beekeeping is more than just a hobby. Bees help pollinate your garden vegetables, helping your crops be more productive, and they produce copious honey that they’re more than happy to share with you.

From 1 to 2 PM on Saturday, DC State Fair volunteer and urban beekeeper Toni Burnham will be discussing why keeping bees is so important for supporting urban greenspaces, how bees fit in with natural pollinators, and why it is not a crazy idea to include a hive with tens of thousands of bees in an urban yard or garden! A glass observation colony will be on display for Fair-goers to get up close and personal with bees, introducing us to the members of the bee family and the work they do. Toni will explain how a typical home beehive works and how home apiarist use beekeeping tools–veils, smokers, and more.

Toni is involved with the DC Beekeepers group, which is planning a beekeeping course in October. The details are still being determined, but if your interest is piqued by the Home Beekeeping Demonstration or you can’t make the Fair this weekend, e-mail dcbees@dcbeekeepers.org to learn more about the beekeeping course!